Protective cap for a stake

ABSTRACT

A protective cap for use on the free end of a projecting stake includes a base platform, a receiving collar, a secondary collar, reinforcing ribs, and a cover. Optionally included are a plurality of metal clamps, and a tether. A horizontal hole in the receiving collar, or the secondary collar, provides a means for tethering the cap to the stake. Reinforcing ribs extend between the receiving collar and the secondary collar. Gripper teeth on the cover engage a variety of stake cross sections. An optional tether is configured with conical segments to engage with the horizontal holes. Optional notches and holes in the base platform would hold a glow stick.

TECHNICAL FIELD

In the field of static structures, a protective cap for mounting at thetop of a shaft and so shaped as to be the final upper terminal of thestructure.

BACKGROUND ART

Metal stakes are a common fixture in the construction industry.Depending on the style of the stake, caps or other protectiveattachments have been described. For example, U.S. Pat. No. 6,691,479teaches a protective stake cap for placing atop a “T” shaped metal staketypically used in fencing applications. Innovativeness in this field,however, can greatly affect the protection offered by a cap againstdeath or injury from an accidental human impact.

SUMMARY OF INVENTION

A protective cap is disclosed for use on the free end of stakeprojecting from the ground or other solid surface. The protective capreduces the potential of impalement from an accidental fall onto suchstakes. The protective cap includes a base platform, which is preferablya plate of about sixteen square inches. The base platform forms the topof the protective cap when the protective cap is placed on the stake.

In use, a stake is inserted into a protruding open end of a receivingcollar extending from the base platform, preferably about 2 to 3 inches.A couple of horizontal holes near the protruding open end provide ameans for tethering the cap to the stake.

A secondary collar surrounds the receiving collar on the base platform.Reinforcing ribs extend between the receiving collar and the secondarycollar, which reinforces the cap against a side ejection of the stakeupon impact with something falling on the cap.

A cover snaps on the open end of the receiving collar. Gripper teeth onthe cover enable a firm fit to a variety of stake cross sections.

The protective cap also optionally includes metal clamps that may berotated against the stake to hold the cap in place on the stake.

The protective cap optionally includes a tether configured with conicalsegments to pressure fit in at least one of the horizontal holes. Thetether may also have a tab with a hole in it to facilitate use with afastener.

The protective cap optionally includes base platform configured with atleast one notch or hole to hold a glow stick, flag or other attachment.

TECHNICAL PROBLEM

There is an important and unfilled need in the field for a protectivecap for stake providing expanded use on a variety of stake crosssections and possessing several important safety features.

A first safety feature is that the protective cap must offer ease of usefor installation and removal for later reuse when the cap is no longerneeded.

A second safety feature is that the cap must be capable of being reusedso that cost of the cap can be amortized over numerous installations andre-installations. Multiple use capability encourages its use and thuspromoting safety.

A third safety feature is a protective cap that delivers inherentcapability to remain in a deployed position on the stake after animpact.

Presently there is not a universal protective cap for a variety of stakecross sections possessing the above features to enhance safety. Variousmeans and methods are used by conscientious people but more often thannot, the lack of a universal cap results in no protection at all beingused.

SOLUTION TO PROBLEM

Human protection from a protective cap atop a stake can be enhanced whenthe cap is easily deployed. The present invention employs a design for aprotective cap that can be installed with a minimum of labor and thenremoved for reuse. This is an important feature that encourages safepractices with minimal additional labor costs associated with suchinstallation and removal.

Human protection is further enhanced when the capital cost of the capcan be amortized over numerous installations and re-installations. Thepresent invention is for a protective cap that is easy to install andeasy to remove for later reuse so as to enable a construction company tospread the cost of a safety cap over more than a single job site.

Human protection is further enhanced when a protective cap has inherentstability upon being impacted from above by a human body. The presentinvention is a protective cap that delivers inherent capability toremain in a deployed position on the flat metal stake after such animpact and can avert consequential or secondary injury due to an exposedend to the stake during recovery or emergency treatment.

Human protection is further enhanced when a protective cap is inherentlydesigned to distribute the force of the impact to minimize greater humandamage from side ejection of the stake. The present invention is aprotective cap that provides a relatively large impact area and sidereinforcement.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF DRAWINGS

The drawings show preferred embodiments of a protective cap for a stakecomprising the invention. The reference numbers in the drawings are usedconsistently throughout. New reference numbers in FIG. 2 are given the200 series numbers. Similarly, new reference numbers in each succeedingdrawing are given a corresponding series number beginning with thefigure number.

FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a protective cap.

FIG. 2 is a top view of the protective cap shown in FIG. 1.

FIG. 3 is a side elevation view of the protective cap shown in FIG. 1.

FIG. 4 is perspective of a tether.

FIG. 5 is a sectional view of the cap showing a shock absorber.

DESCRIPTION OF EMBODIMENTS

In the following description, reference is made to the accompanyingdrawings, which form a part hereof and which illustrate severalembodiments of the present invention. The drawings and the preferredembodiments of the invention are presented with the understanding thatthe present invention is susceptible of embodiments in many differentforms and, therefore, other embodiments may be utilized with structuralchanges that provide the same function in the same way and with the sameresult as described herein, without departing from the scope of thepresent invention.

A preferred embodiment of the protective cap (100) is shown inperspective in FIG. 1, with other views of this embodiment in FIGS. 2and 3. FIG. 4 shows is perspective of a tether (400) optionally usedwith the protective cap.

A protective cap (100) in accordance with the invention is for use on afree end of a stake projecting from a solid surface, such as the ground.The protective cap (100) may be used on a stake of any length andvirtually any cross-sectional shape. The protective cap (100) fits overthe diameter, or thickness and a width of the stake so as to provide ablunt end to the stake.

The preferred overall dimensions of the protective cap (100) are about 2to 3 inches in height, more specifically about 2.5 inches, and anoverall top area (112) of about 16 square inches. The top area (112) maybe any shape, such as the oval shape shown in FIG. 1, and preferably isplanar so as to maximize the impact area on a person accidentallyfalling on the protective cap (100) when installed on a vertical stake.

The components of the protective cap (100) are a base platform (110), areceiving collar (140), a secondary collar (120), reinforcing ribs(121), and a cover (130). Optional additional components are a pluralityof metal clamps (150), a tether (400), and a shock absorber (510).

The base platform (110) is essentially a plate. The top area (112) ofthe protective cap (100) is the outer face of the base platform (110)when the protective cap (100) is placed on the stake. The base platform(110) may be configured with a notch (111) and/or a hole (213),preferably two notches on opposing sides and/or two holes on opposingsides. The notch (111) and/or hole (213) is used to hold a glow stick,flag or other attachment.

The receiving collar (140) extends from the base platform (110),preferably so that the receiving collar (140) forms a three-sidedstructure defining a volume that is open at one end to receive the stakeand closed at the other end by the base platform (110).

In the preferred embodiment seen in FIG. 1, the receiving collar (140)has an approximate rectangular cross section and an enlarged centralsegment to accommodate a variety of stakes of rectangular, square andround or circular cross sections. In other embodiments, it may beconfigured with other cross-sectional shapes, such as ovate or square.

The receiving collar (140) is affixed to the base platform (110). Thereceiving collar (140) preferably extends to a distal point of about 2to 3 inches from the base platform (110), more specifically about 2.5inches from the base platform (110).

The receiving collar (140) may optionally be configured to define ahorizontal hole (141), preferably two horizontal holes on opposite sidesof the receiving collar (140) and located close to the open end,essentially, below the distal point. The horizontal hole (141) may beused with the tether (400) or wire twist tie to firmly affix theprotective cap (100) to the stake.

The optional tether (400) is configured with conical segments (410) topressure fit into at least one of the plurality of horizontal holes(141) and hold cap to the stake. A tether (400) may wrap around thestake and then each end may be inserted into one of the horizontal holes(141). The tether (400) may also have a tab (420) configured with a hole(421) in it to facilitate attachment to the stake, for example with atwist tie, screw or nail.

The secondary collar (120) surrounds the receiving collar (140) andextends from the base platform (110) to a second point below the distalpoint. The secondary collar (120) is preferably oval in cross-section,but may also take on other cross-sectional shapes that form a structuredefining an internal volume surrounding most of the receiving collar(140).

The secondary collar (120) may optionally be configured to define ahorizontal hole (122), preferably two horizontal holes on opposite sidesof the secondary collar (120) and located close to the open end,essentially, below the second point. The horizontal hole (122) may beused with the tether (400) or wire twist tie to firmly affix theprotective cap (100) to the stake.

The reinforcing ribs (121) extend between the receiving collar (140) andthe secondary collar (120). The reinforcing ribs (121) are preferablyvertical plates joining the receiving collar (140) and the secondarycollar (120).

The cover (130) snaps on the open end of the receiving collar (140) andincludes gripper teeth (131) to engage the stake when the protective cap(100) is placed on the stake. The gripper teeth (131) are an additionalmeans to ensure that the protective cap (100) stays on the stake.

The metal clamps (150) are essentially pressure-fit spring clips thatare configured to rotate against the stake and pressure fit against thestake when the protective cap is placed on the stake. Rotation may beachieved by inserting the ends (151) of a wire comprising the metalclamps (150) into a pivot hole in the reinforcing ribs (121) to form twopivot points about which each of the metal clamps (150) can rotate. Themetal clamps (150) are an additional means to ensure that the protectivecap (100) stays on the stake.

The shock absorber (510) is indicated within the dotted oval in FIG. 5.The shock absorber (510) operably connected at the bottom of thereceiving collar (140) so that a person impacting on a stake with theprotective cap (500) would depress the shock absorber (510) to dissipatethe energy of the fall. The shock absorber (510) preferably comprises atop metal plate (543 b) to spread the force of the impact over the areaof the spring. The shock absorber (510) further preferably comprises aspring (542), which may be any elastic device, such as a coil of wire orspongy material that regains its original shape after being compressedor extended. Finally, the shock absorber (510) preferably comprises abottom metal plate (543 a) to spread the force of the impact over thebottom area of the protective cap (500).

The above-described embodiments including the drawings are examples ofthe invention and merely provide illustrations of the invention. Otherembodiments will be obvious to those skilled in the art. Thus, the scopeof the invention is determined by the appended claims and their legalequivalents rather than by the examples given.

INDUSTRIAL APPLICABILITY

The invention has application to the construction industry.

1. A protective cap for use on a stake at a free end projecting from asolid surface, the protective cap comprising: a base platform comprisinga plate forming the top of the protective cap when the protective cap isplaced on the stake; a receiving collar extending from the baseplatform, the receiving collar: comprising an open end at a distal pointfrom the base; and, configured to receive the stake comprising a crosssectional shape selected from the group consisting of rectangular,square, and round; a secondary collar surrounding the receiving collarand extending from the base platform to second point below the distalpoint; reinforcing ribs extending between the receiving collar and thesecondary collar; and a cover that snaps on the open end of thereceiving collar comprising gripper teeth.
 2. The protective cap ofclaim 1 further comprising a shock absorber operably connected at thebottom of the receiving collar, the shock absorber comprising a topmetal plate, a spring, and a bottom metal plate.
 3. The protective capof claim 1 wherein the secondary collar is configured to define ahorizontal hole below the second point.
 4. The protective cap of claim 1wherein the receiving collar is configured to define a second horizontalhole below the distal point.
 5. The protective cap of claim 1 furthercomprising a tether configured with conical segments to pressure fit inat least one of the plurality of horizontal holes and hold cap to thestake.
 6. The protective cap of claim 5 wherein the tether furthercomprises a tab configured to define hole.
 7. The protective cap ofclaim 1 further comprising a plurality of metal clamps configured torotate against the stake and pressure fit against the stake when theprotective cap is placed on the stake.
 8. The protective cap of claim 1wherein the base platform is configured with a notch.
 9. The protectivecap of claim 1 wherein the base platform is configured with a hole. 10.The protective cap of claim 1 wherein the base platform has a surfacearea of at least sixteen square inches.
 11. The protective cap of claim1 wherein the distal point is about 2 to 3 inches from the baseplatform.